Barking Alien Challenge day23 Exports

Barking Alien Challenge day23+24: Imports & Exports
I did like the Mystara maps with global trade usable as a game aid and a game.

I imagine this would be handy for treasure, especially in a maritime setting.
Imports tommorrow.

This starts with the regions of the continant then the less detailed regions beyond. Goods from these lands are more exotic and tend to be luxury. 

d12 Common Exports of the Northern Continent

1 Wood goods

2 Fur & hide

3 Iron goods

4 Wheat & barley

5 Cured pork & pigs

6 Bows & Bowstaves

7 Coal & rock oil

8 Pine Nuts & hazelnuts

9 Pickled Vegetables

10 Dried Mushrooms

11 Sheep & goats for wool & dairy

12 Fish, dried or smoked

d12 Fancy Exports of the Northern Continent

1 Armour 

2 Weapons

3 Gems & semiprecious stones

4 Amber

5 Honey & Mead

6 Tapestries

7 Alchemist spirits (distilled grog/lamp fuel)

8 Scented soap

9 Walrus or whale Ivory

10 Troll bones

11 Magical block of slow-melting ice

12 Dried Mermaid in a display case

d12 Common Exports of the Southern Continent

1 Dried Beans

2 Sea biscuits

3 Olive oil

4 Wine & Vinegar

5 Fish sauce

6 Dairy & Beef

7 Dried Fruit

8 Spicy sausages 

9 Tin

10 Salt

11 Linen cloth & clothes

12 Salted Fish

d12 Fancy Exports of the Southern Continent

1 Gold and silver

2 Vintage wines

3 Horses

4 Safron & Silphium 

5 Religious relics & icons

6 Felt hats

7 Artisanal leather goods

8 Jewellery

9 Crossbows

10 Dye

11 Aromatic oil

12 Holy Water

d12 Exports of the Mysterious West

1 Ceramics

2 Spices

3 Ivory

4 Narcotics

5 Paper

6 Poison

7 Medicine

8 Insence

9 Exotic fruits

10 Exotic birds & apes 

11 Dragon bones

12 Gunpowder & fireworks  

d12 Exports of the Warring East*

1 Blackpowder, guns

2 Quality steel

3 Arms & armour

4 Ships

5 Alchemist spirits (distilled grog)

6 Exotic tribal idols

7 Exotic birds & lizards

8 Clocks

9 Tools

10 Books

11 Mercenaries

12 Silver & gold

*Shadeloport has similar trade and lots of influence over the warring colonies of the West
The western colonies are a small region of the west, mostly its jungles, dinosaurs, ruins and cults like Forbidden Island

d12 Exports of the Northern Lands

1 Whale and walrus ivory

2 Obsidian

3 Amber 

4 Furs

5 Wood

6 Stone idols

7 Seashells

8 Ochre

9 Semiprecious stones

10 Honey

11 Giant animals

12 Prehuman artefacts

d12 Exports of the South Continent

1 Salt

2 Dye

3 Wheat & barley

4 Dried Fruits

5 Copper, bronze and brass

6 Silver & gold

7 Wine

8 Rock oil

9 Narcotics

10 Mumified humans & animals*

11 Ancient relics

12 Potions

*used for fertiliser, fuel, paint, alchemy, and medicine. Yes, it's dangerous and unhealthy

d12 Exports of the Islands

1 Fish

2 Dye

3 Stone idols

4 Hardwood goods

5 Shells

6 Pearls

7 Obsidian

8 Seaweed

9 Scented woods

10 Perfume

11 Coral

12 Prehuman relics

d12 Wasteland Exports
1 Mercenaries

2 Horses

3 Cattle

4 Fur

5 Flint

6 Venison

7 Bison

8 Herbs

9 Horn

10 Giant animals 

11 Monster body parts

12 Composite bows

d12 Auldwood Exports
1 Wood

2 Fur
3 Herbs
4 Fruit, nuts & acorns

5 Captured beasts

6 Jewellery

7 Superior linen cloth

8 Slaves (golinoid, kold, human, orc)  

9 Halfling crafts & foods

10 Dwarf metal goods

11 Elf luxury goods

12 Prehuman relics

d12 Chagrinspire Exports*
1 Guns

2 Scrap metal

3 Slavery

4 Machine parts

5 Tools

6 Ancient texts & art

7 Giant bugs

8 Mushrooms 

9 Slavery (currently in decline due to adventurers)

10 Gunpowder

11 Alchemist ingredients

12 Magic items, potions & scrolls
*Items from the ruins and wastes and the underland 

Barking Alien Challenge day22: Flora & Fauna? + Quick Thoughts of D&D Fumbles

Oh this is a good one...

Nature and Arcane spells make the most monsters but divine magic can summon creatures.

This is catagories id use in a beastiary

Abhuman are large, muscular humanoid hybrids. Some types very ancient related to spirits and planar beings meeting in the dawn times. More recent ones are made with a torturous ritual spell that joins a creature and a human into a single hulking humanoid. Most know them as beast folk but also human barbarians, orc barbarians, elemental hybrids and flora based humanoids exist also and other strange types. 

Beasts include the animals we know and hear of wild in other lands. Normal animals are mortal and if die well are reborn in the mortal world. Magic can make giant, hybrid, mutant or sentient beasts. They can also restore long-lost species like the prehistoric megabeasts and thunder lizards. Beast include worms (armoured and unarmoured), bugs, arachnids, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Magic beasts are unnatural chimeric hybrids with the abilities of their components. Beast folk are abhumans related to humans and beasts. In the dawn age they were made to protect beasts and were related to nature spirits. Beastlings are smaller human beast folk, less famous for barbaric warfare, instead live humbly in the wilds or with demihumans. Some modern ones were made from the leftovers from creating an abhuman. The oldest ones are ancient but shy allies of nature. 

Chimaera is a hybrid of 3 or more species. These creatures eventually breed formless protoplasmic horrors

Constructs are artificial beings crafted and brought to artificial life with magic and rituals. Includes beings made of meat or protoplasm, like shoggoths or alchemical humanoids. Some of the most perfect pseudobiological androids are a type of abhuman.

Demihumans include elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, changelings and goblinoids. They all share some ancestry and are human-like, but all have pointy ears

Eldritch creatures drawn from the horrible, hungry void of the outer darkness who crave souls and matter to feast on. It includes the elder prehuman gods who served them. They draw from elder arcane powers dwelling before creation, life or the elements. They may have destroyed other cycles of reality. They often draw on the negaverse and use its power to make themselves undying and enslave those they kill

Elementals in purest forms are just elemental matter drawn from pure elemntal worlds. There are hybrid elemental flora and fauna on the elemental planes like we have plants and animals in our world. Certain types of beast types are more likley to be found on certain elemental worlds. There are also hybrid elemental worlds. These are all leftovers from creation of the mortal world and universe before time.

Faerie creatures are the non-mortal inhabitants of the faerielands, which has annexed the former giant and troll worlds. They are sensitive to planar portals to the mortal or faerie world and shun cold iron. 

Flora includes slime, mould, lichen, algae, plants, fungus and brainless growing things. Magic can create sentient, giant, mobile, mutant, hybrid or humanoid versions with magic.

Giants include huge humanoids but also a property of other enlarged creatures.

Humanoid any creature that has basic body plan of a human. Wings and tails are borderline cases.

Hybrid are mostly unnatural crossbreed descended from the dawn age or by magic in more times between to species or life types. 

Mutants are tainted by magic, elements or other planes. They have wildly altered body structures and sometimes spirits. Mutants risk devolving into chimeric or shoggoth horrors 

Planar creatures from the alignment realms beyond the mortal plane althogh they are all linked. The lower planes of hell and the underworld are below the mortal world and the roots of the world tree pierce them and dragons gnaw on the roots. The upper branches reach the gardens of Arcadia and the divine fields around the celestial mountain of heaven and its seven cities. Fragments of creation and the previous universes drift between heavens and hells and these motes are demon worlds ruled by demon monarchs, each of whom believes they are gods. These beings exist in a hierarchy from spirits to footsoldiers or nobility. Planes are connected to specific elements and will have positive or negative powers depending on their alignment.

Spirits are non-corporeal beings, but many can create bodies to interact with the world. Others can't interact with mortals but can spy on them or communicate. Those who dwell near the mortal worlds dwell in the ether world. Those who travel between planes dwell in the astral plane. It is risky for weak spirits on the astral plane. Living things may be associated with spirits, but places of natural beauty, stones, artworks, statues, buildings or dungeons can all form spirits over time. Powerful planar beings may command many spirits, and some spirits bully others or have a local pecking order. Spirits are a good source of information. All these spirits draw from the positive plane of life, but not from base matter or elements.

Thought creatures are beings of thought related to the matter of illusions and phantoms. Creatures from here can be powerful or just illusions or shadows. Nightmare Realms draw power from the negative plane and Dream Domain from the positive plane for their substance. Only the most powerful can cause harm on the mortal world but they might invade dreams.

Troll on a finishing note were more common than demihumans once, and kindred to nature spirits but the creation of the troll type we know today ended all the other species. The surviving trolls are violent and insane cancerous clones. Small trollings still live in barns or behind stoves in some wild or rural places. Trollborn versions of beasts and creatures may be small or huge, some have tusks, large bellies, ravenous apetites and unatural healing. Trolls were wise with magic once but humans know little of their ways.

Undead are either reanimated material corpses or a corrupted portion of the spirit of a formerly living being. Corporeal Dead include skeletons, ghouls, zombies, wights, mummies, vampires, and liches. Spirits of the dead include phantoms, shades, spectres, ghosts, wraiths and more. They are attuned to the negative energy plane for sustenance. They lurk in the ethereal plane, manifesting in the mortal world as intangible beings with strange powers. Often bound to a place or object in the mortal world. Some have spiritual parasites that use part of a soul to make a mockery of the living person; they might also occupy a new corpse and pretend to be the former living or change a corpse to their former living one in appearance. Some freewilled undead have traumatic deaths and unfinished business, and may remain until resolved. Even if not evil, they draw power from the negaverse with their sorrow and bitterness. Positive spirits may return from the afterlife to help the living but this is at the request of a deity. Non-evil undead are easier to put to rest. Evil undead crave flesh and souls and blood and love wicked deeds against the living. Simple undead do as commanded and mostly have no intent, just use some dark animus to animate them. Weakest spooks and phantoms may be just repeating loops that fade over time. Poltergeists are barely aware but excited by emotions like angeror violence. Some phantasms with purpose are more likely to interact with the world or people and may have a tool or a weapon or touch the world. Even a good soul might have their corpse arise while the main part of them is in heaven. A body might arise to send off graverobbers or ghouls. It is powered by negative energy and strong emotions but has only the part of the original person who was good. Such an undead would be seen as righteous and would probably return to sleep. If an item was stolen, it might cause trouble until returned. There are spirits that become linked to objects or artworks or trees or places and may desire revenge or be in love with a living person, they dont all have to be hard, evil. Possibly just bending riles of the dead, drawing negative power and hoping to draw a mortal into love under false pretences that can only have a bad outcome.
  
d12 Basic Form
1-4 Beast
5-6 Flora
7-10 Humanoid (humans, demihumans, abhumans)
11-12 Spirits (includes spirits of the dead)

d20 Modifiers
1 Chimera
2 Construct
3 Eldritch
4-7 Elemental 
8-10 Faerie
11-12 Giant
13-14 Hybrid
15-17 Mutant
18 Planar
19 Thought
20 Troll
Undead
------------------

Fumbles in D&D

They dont really work dont do it.

If you want gritty combat play runequest.

If you want wild combat and magic fumbles, play DCC - it makes more sense if every roll can cause wild stuff. If fighters get more attacks, they get more risk of silly accidents not less.

Basicly fumbles are more unlikely than 5%, but for martial characters this is unfair and punishing

What I would do If I did it
>Make a fumble on a 1 for weapons you have no proficiency in or improvised
or
>You can only fumble once in a round, maximum
or
>Martial classes dont roll fumbles ever 

and

>Dropped Weapons are the most common kind of fumble is just to drop your weapon so you can use an action to pick it up or use shield bash and unarmed attacks or draw another weapon, which feels reasonably fun (exotic weird stuff is far more unlikely)
>Fragile Weapons might break if fails a save or be damaged if it makes it, bump damage dice to the next lower type and -1 hit if the item saves. You might increase the fumble chance to break on a damaged weapon by one cumulative each damage. Weapons that are stone, bone, sinew and wood are one type. Crude iron or old metal weapons might also suffer this effect and might start to be damaged, but can be repaired. A bowstring or sling might also break.
>Blackpowder Weapons for non-professionals can explode. This destroys or damages the gun and causes a d4 damage to the user. For a pro gunner, this is a dud charge or jam needing a repair to fire. 

>Articulated Weapons can harm yourself or others (flails, nunchucks, nets, chains, whip). It is very unlikley and they are extra dangerous. Also, it might fling it away or break it (perhaps the head flies off). d4 1=drop at your feet 2=fling it away 2d4 yards + STR bonus 3=hit ally or yourselfor ally 4=break and bit flies off as if thrown (random d12 direction)
>Splash Weapons (thrown grenades, incendiaries, holy water and acid) I roll a d12 compass for where a miss lands and off by half of short range. I also let people attack an area which has a lower AC than targeting a person moving.  

Possibly, this is too serious and sucks all the fun away
Enemies dropping weapons is ok
A spell to change fumble odds would be cool, like 1-4 on a d20 as a curse
Defective weapons might fumble more 1-1 on a d20 (loose grip or break)
Cursed items might increase fumbles but stll have + to hit
Longterm curse spell makes all attack rolls fumple on a one would be ok and good on fighters

Barking Alien Challenge day21: Organisations + Movements

d12 Organisations
1 The Temple of Light - a collection of light, solar and fire divinities united into one church. Some worship all the gods, angels and saints as a pantheon but others have a favourite deity. Protar the warrior lord of light who hunts the evil dead and brings light to the needy, is currently at the forefront of popularity more than his father the solar emperor of heaven. The Templars of light are the most famous dedicated order of the church because they travel and proselytise as pilgrims around the central continent. The images of the pantheon include them in the seven celestial cities of heaven in the sky and sometimes fighting the evil darkness or the birth of protar and his mother

2 The Earth Temple - a collection of earth gods, nature divinities and faerie spirits worshipped as a pantheon by many peoples, especially rural and wilderness people. Many of their priests are in fact Druids. They often act as intermediaries with elves, beastfolk, gobins and other prehuman. Rover agents of the church are all over the frontier, watching for hidden ancient evils. Some of their gods are not human gods and much older. In places the church of light persecute them as backward. The images of the panthoen they are often hybrid animals or flora often feasting from the cauldron of life and death in the gardens of arcadia

3 The Sky Temple - a collection of air gods, weather divinities and wielders of death. A pantheon of grim nature gods who rule the lower and middle air below heaven but also access the underworld and made the hells to punish and imprison those they killed. They are most favoured with the north wastes, warrior barbarian peoples of any wastelands. All kinds of disembodied spirits can be part of the pantheon, including ancestor spirits. These spirits flow from the underworld to the heavens and the mortal world to be reborn again. The skyfather herds all the spirits of life and death. His wife is a horrendous witch and the children are grim and warlike. They are portrayed at war or feasting in a great hall where the fearless spirits dwell

4 The Sea Temple - a collection of sea, water, lunar and darkness deities spirits of the stars and night sea who sail through the darkness beyond the sky in their crystal palaces. Most interactions involve marine spirits and creatures of the underwater fairieland. This religion is used by sea traders and helps to negotiate dealings with the peoples of the sea and the laws of the briny deep. Many sea gods seem part fish or sea serpent or turn into sea beasts. They are often portrayed leading sea creatures or feasting under the sea with attending servants. The study of the sky is for navigations and religion is for traders and travellers.

4 The Death Temple - the forbidden arcane School of Necromancy and death god templars once ruled the central continent for an age, and some of their cities and lords have persisted since prehistory and writing. They stole forbidden lore from the prehuman lords of darkness and built a new age of stone and bone. Their kinds can be found in hiding and often aid each other. They have a low value on life and mercy. They operate in hiding and in recent years adopted a darkness god who is the sun's shadow, a vile betrayor who tries to kill the sun. This heresy infected the mad emperor, and he used the cult to hide his evil and destroy the empire. Their art often depicts features of the underworld or tormented lost souls
  

5 The Elemental Heracy - changed the pantheons to fit with their unitarian pantheon and arcane magic. They wanted all the elemental cults to unite to conquer the world. Once they did and went even over the seas. Many still do and where the older nature elemental gods are persecuted they often join this sect. They have kept some cults alive for millenium aften moving to many different cities of ver time and spreading. Wizards were involved in this and a later Arcane Empire in the Age of Exilon used the herecy for their empire 

6 The Dragon Temple - dragons have ruled some places long before humans and may be found all over the world and the inner world in every environment. The bigger they are the more they sleep but more likley to know magic or change form. As human or elf form they have influenced younger species and instigated dragon cults, schools of magic, cults and secret societies. Some dragons have fuedal domains even. The dragon temple has a pantheon of cosmic dragons like Tiamat and Nidhog. Dragons may rule as fuedal lord as mortals or openly as dragons. The dragon templars are an order that helps dragons for draconic lore some of the profit from managing dragon estates. Dragon riders were seen in the war of Chagrinspire a thousand years ago but they say great dragon swarming events are coming. Dragon cults and spell users are rejoicing

7 Slavers Guild - a global slavers guild in decline. As they thin out the greatest evil ones survive who trade humans to cults and monsters and frightening underland peoples. They used the secret underground highway of the old dwarves and trolls that even go under the sea. They have secret underground bases and recruit evil adventurers and thieves guild members. They move people they steal to the opposite side of the continent to disorientate them. Recent defeats has turned popular will and kingdoms against them as peace has broken out and the 30 year civil war over. Parts of the guild also had hijacked the empire systems so the end of the third empire was damaging also. They say they have secret island bases

8 Pirates Guild - they settled the ghastly elritch city on Exile Island, former capitol of the global seven monster kings empire of the age of darkness. Shadelport came to dominate the sea and shipbuilding and even crushed the Empire Navy. Ater they worked for the empire for gold. Now they rule the sea but they never harm islander peoples who have lives on the seas the longest and are related to marine deities. They also built a navigators guild and wizards guild, universities the greatest in the world some say. For 800 years the immortal Baron has ruled with his secret police and he rarely goes to sea. His only real rival is the Lotus Guild and maybe the raiders of the north. Pirates helped liberate the eastern colonies from the Empire and kept the south from reaching the continant. They have strict codes yet are anarchistic at times

9 Lotus Guild - the great global secret empire of the Underground Emperor of the Mysterious West. They grow the drugs on mountain plateaus. The underground city of the emperor isforbidden to outsiders. They say it was buried when the gods dropped mountains on the monster kings, ending their reign. They say he hears all the gossip in the world. He also commands the global assassins guild. He is ancient and immortal with unknown influence and power yet feared. Agents are born of his bloodline and some are rulers of kingdoms. They control coastal pirates of the west under their control with vice

10 Hellfire Temple - hell is always up to mischief in its overzealous, cruel hunts for the wicked and the damned. They especially tempt mortals with power for soul contracts. Devil cults serve the ambitions of hell and make money. Some open portals for two way exchange. But devils dont really like risking being on the mortal world so some hire gangs of demons so they can blame them for chaos. Many evil rulers and petty tyrants owe hell. Hell likes to instigate light vs darkness religions while taking over both sides. Chaos and demons cna be manipulated but must be wiped out and dragged to hell eventually. Hell is a bureacracy and many devils plead they are just doing their job. The heavens have intervened if hell is too unjust or deceptive. Whole orc and hobgoblin tribes have sworn to hell's service. Hell also offers wizard schools, tuition-free studies, and sorcerous blood pacts.    

11 Chaos Temple - these templars serve the primordials, chaos elementals from the raw stuff of the universe, unformed and ever changing. Many have mutations instead of spells they gain from their alien overlords from beyond. The eight pointed star is ever in conflict with the threat of eternal stasis from the arrow of law. Their numbers are growing wildly as they force captives into chaos pools to change them. Once mutated most feel they have no choice but to join. Demons like to encourage them to act out acts of cruelty to bring them over to their side. Mutants are hated mostly but Shadelport has a ghetto for them and many become pirates. Chaos warbands roam the wasteland seeking to erode civilisation and order. They tend to fight as a horde of individuals with poor teamwork

12 Alchemist Guild - world's premier dealer of medicine, drugs, herbs, fungus, incendiaries, gunpowder and performance enhancing potions (used by dirty murder hobos). They seek to reclaim the lore they knew when they long ago sided with CHagrinspire but as the gnomes cheated them they switched sides before the apocalypse war ended. Since then, they have controlled the use of guns, golems and potions across the continent. The greatest succes is the formula for alchemists' gruel which comes powdered or canned or in a sealed jar. The modern guild denies a direct link to the old guild at the same time wants the knowledge of the ancients and gnomes for the sake of power. Most gun makers are in this guild

d12 Movements
1 Reading and the Press - Shadelport has brought machines from the west, and now anyone can buy a 3-fold flyer or pamphlet. Posters and paper are more common, and people buy prints and calenders and popular books. The secret police dont like treason but are fine with common vice and corruption. Pirates have spread these around the world, and literacy is growing since the empire fell. Now, anyone can get any of the main religious texts or perhaps some blasphemy. In many lands these are all banned. Barbarians who hate books have heard of this but can't reach Exile Island by sea (or can they?). Coffee and teashops are centres of this new society for playwriters, bards, artists, philosophers and literary critics

2 Gourmet Travellers - posh toffs roam the countryside on foot, trying authentic, fancy local foodswhile admiring ancient ruins, avoiding bandits, visiting other tourist traps. Many hire guards, and it's not for commoners who will only ruin it. Some merchant-class travellers are doing it on the cheap now. There are scribes who will make all your bookings on a route and plan your holiday. The most outrageous gourmets write books and travel guides. Now eating dungeon monsters is all the rage so some of these idiots are going to dungeons they see on their travels for some dungeon meat only to become it

3 The Yellow Mask - posh toff decadents into poetry, arts, vice and depravity. Not dangerous to outsiders, but they do assimilate new bright young things, sorcerers and the rich, which troubles many. Their works are regarded as spiritually corrupting. They seem to have many cultists as members, but all come under the sway of the lords of the limelight, who are the prettiest and wittiest artists. Many flirt with cults to steal their best members. They prefer lotus dens and brothels to common tasteless vices. They love secrets, gossip and slander. Some pay their leaders to repair or destroy reputations. They seem to be found in all four corners of the world and the central continent. They wear yellow and often wear yellow flowers. Some just walk around with a sunflower. They say the members keep their beauty for a long time

4 Murder Hobos - just get some friends and weapons and attack some primative non humans and rob them blind. The longer they last the more despicable they become. Their may be near the so-called mega dungeon complex, whole filthy towns of murderous dungeon adventurers. Like gold rush towns if they were all pirates but worse. The less they care about the effects they cause the more deranged and hateful they are, They tae pride in dirty tricks and field operations of enemies who might have swallowed their treasure to hide it. Most people despise these killer troglodytes who are best driven away. You see old drunken ones wandering through the village, dont make eye contact with them

5 Guns! - Gunpowder appeared in the east over a thousand years ago with fire arrows, fire lances and then cannons. Muskets appeared much later. Guns spread to many lands late Second Empire as the world copied CHagrinspire to beat it in the apocalypse war. Nobody outside the grey gnomes can make the smokeless cartridge the deadliest and fastest guns used. Black powder is especially common in the warring colonies of the East. Various cast-iron grenades with fuses exist and are valuable for clearing monster holes. The Alchemists restricted the secrets of gunpowder and have limited the use of guns. Many hope to plunder guns of CHagrinspire to copy and mass produce like the ancients did but the gnomes seem to find that such users wind up dead. Dwarves use guns and resent humans for stealing their metal secrets. Elves and faerie hate guns, the noise and the smell. Some fire guns daily to keep faerie away or load guns with cold iron or silver if the elves send werewolves. The slavers and alchemists used to use minerals from the wastes of Chagrinspire but this has been disrupted by do gooders.

6 Golemcraft - Chagrinspire at tis peak in the age of wonder had golem wagons, taps, ovens, forges, iron boats, cannons and of course humanoids. Golem door knockers with faces can talk to visitors and can keep out pests. Various labour saving devices like a golem washing tub or saw or lathe or potters wheen are all possible. Golem craft has become popular again as golums are a good way to pass on wealth to your descendants that lasts forever. Golem mechanics and alchemists seek to recover ancient golem parts or manuals. Grey gnomes in the underland still use these too. Dwarves prefer dumber automatons like living staues (which are not really alive). Tribal people use bone, wood and vegetable matter more while civilised people use metal or other craft materials to last. Defending temples and wizard towers are the most popular versions. Many cathedral gargoyles are in fact guard golems based on the flesh and blood ones you mostly see in the wilds now. 

7 Cults - the collapse and coruption of the empire have esploded the number of demon cults offering power, revenge and freedom to be selfish and cruel. CUlts help make these traits seem normal and to seize power by infuence or force if needed. Demon power is on the rise and even hell is concerned with these pests from the abyss. Other planar beings like evil  elementals, daemon, daimon, primordials are possible but most are alien and abusive power grabs. Some cults are allied to a species of beast folk or monster. Dragon cults where villages sacrifice victims for prosperity have been reported. Demons are always the most common as every mid tier demon grabbed a fragment of shell orbiting the cosmos left from creation or from a previous cycle of life. There are great clouds of hundreds of these small planes where every demon boss can convince itself it is a god. Devil cults mighgt rat out demon cults to the law or might even become witcxh hunters

8 Pilgrimages - Now their is peace and choice that will last, people are exploring alternatives the the Church of Light that is maybe a bit more practical like the old nature gods or the civilised gods. As people explore religion and have some prosperity may go on group pilgramages lasting days or months. Popular pilgrimage paths are guarded by Templars. The wealthy stay at inns or church property. Church hostels and boarding houses operate on the biggrer routes. Adventurous pilgrims look for long forgotten shrines off the beaten path. Rich prefer ones near nice inns with good roads. Poor often travel with just begging bowls and prey the gods will provide on the way as a test. It has become the only way the poor see outside their village.

9 Flagelants - these men travel and put on religious shows where they display their piety with self-flagellation and ecstatic shrieking. After a show they camp, eat, drink wine and try recreational herbs. Often, these parties let them recruit youths to run away with them. Adventurers might be hired to bring the youths home and beat up the flagellants. With various whips and simple rope-linked sticks to huge two-handed war flails or chains with spiked balls. They are happy to fight and will start whipping themselves to start a frenzy. The mainstream churches dont really approve of them or understand the appeal. They tend to camp on village commons and steal vegetables and beg for supplies. Most people give them old vegetable scraps or pigslop to get rid of them. Adults find them a bit cringy

10 Witch Hunting - there are supernatural faerie and planar hags since before humans and these were often amiable to giving powers to old women or orphan girls they adopted. Although most witches are sorcerers in a legal sense it applies to the crime of casting a harmful spell on a citizen or their property (like a cow or a wife). Its all very well to charm a goblin but do it in a village and an angry mob might try and burn you. If they are unsure they will hire a witch hunter to help decide if the witch requires burning or drowning  or other tests. Mostly its used in rural villages or poorest slums and often its a scam to grab the land of old people without any defenders. Judges and sheriffs frown on mob vigilantes and may fine mob members for burning people without due process a silver coin!

11 Visual Arts More people see printed works of art and prosperity has a new class of people wanting to decorate their homes since the squalar of the 30 year civil war. Many people desire interesting metal goods an ceramics or carved wood with exotic foriegn designs. More common people argue about styles and the class they imply. Colour is back and peasants feel less like looking poor and boring to stay underneath attention of exploiters. Since the empire has fallen many lands are reverting to the rustic style and has more abstract figures and away from realism and logic. Possibly this is contact with barbarians on the new frontiers. The barbarian and folk style places everything on the same plane and lacks detail with simple sequential story telling and no perspective. In cities the empire style of the church of light has been the only art for many people and many now crave new styles. A more refined recent style features religious mythic scenes with increased detail but odd perspective designed to show everthing all at once. The refined new style has many large crowd and urban scenes depicting many events all in the same scene at once. Meanwhile the eastern colonies have increased realism. They paint nobility, hunting scenes, prize winning livestock and bowls of expencive imported fruits in bowls. Even if they paint godsmurals of gods in a palace they draw faces from local nobility. This new realism and art patronage portraits has been spreading. The mysterious west has more gestural and decorative designs over realism. The modern south lands shun depictions of humans or divity as a reaction of the ancient art on monumenst. (Note: The rustic simple style is like dark age europe and barbarians the empire style is middle medieval and the refined style is high medieval like Bosch and Brugel. The new realism is like renasciance or classical realism of the first empire)

12 Frontiers & Exploration - since the empire folded nations have stopped hemoraging their populations and economies, As a result prosperity has returned and people seek to expand and repopulate depleted areas. As frontiers come to life there is crime, monsters, dungeons, bandits and warlords to deal with. Many new adventurers are idealistic and want to help comunities and not just plunder for themselves or to get drunk. The new prosperity has some youths able to buy surplus vintage armour and armout from the civil war. Many people dont want to look like the empire style anymore so people are developing better weapons using better steel. More soldiers and adventurers are making their own style and mixing armour inmspired by the warring colonies of the east. More and more peoples are traveling long distance and seeing other lands.

Barking Alien Challenge day20: Unsolved Mysteries + Cthulu game

DnD5 wed
Call of Cthulhu tues 
BX oldschool essentials online fri
Marvel spy fy sat
Maybe dnd5 on Sunday
and maybe Monday
band practice Tuesday
then two games
so will probably focus on the challenge over new content
most gaming i had since i lived above a game club

I guess its taken 5 years to get to this in my city and its probably rare
was good at the oz orc con i met a reader who knew my stuff which was nice

d12 Top Mysteries 

1 Was Chagrinspire defeated or delayed, or is centuries of invaders being wiped out is the plan, and the nullification engine will be started again on its true schedule

2 What about the palaces of the star people and life on the moon? What's going on in the heavens, and why does their stuff fall to the mortal world sometimes? Are they bound by astrological fates, or do they make it?

3 The ends of many past apocalypses are unclear, so any evidence or detailed facts are rare. Even lesser spirits and planar beings are vague on the topic. There are many ancient ruins to explore but thee ultimate cause of theor doom is still unclear. Most blame the gods

4 They say it is possible to pass through Hell's depths and back to the mortal world. Each realm of hell has a gatekeeper you must comply with, or you can use secret paths to bypass these, but they may be more dangerous. Gatekeepers' requests are usually burdens and curses

5 Beneath the earth is the Underland, a region still populated by beings from the age of darkness and other peoples who have come to dwell in the deeps. Radiations of the deep can change long-time dwellers and their offspring to be more specialised in the deeps. Humanoids and demihumans dominate the upper realms, with stranger beings in the deep. Whole regions once on the surface had mountains dropped on them. The Underland Common is related to the toungue of the great darkness age

6 What happened to the old folk? Giants and Trolls once fought the gods and now their civilisations are mostly gone. Giant ruins are common and most giants people see are the dumber cruder ones. More young giants have been living among humans like cuckoos and some of these grew to influence world events and seek their own kind's lost secrets. Giants had many cloud castles once but the last people say were destroyed trying to drop on Chagrinspire from the heavens. The engines might be recoverable and wizards of Zorda may have lore to use them. Trolls tried to create a new breed of replaceable healing killers and rapidly their civilisation vanished but it predated elves and dwarves. Giant-land and Troll-land were partly annexed by Faerieland and difficult to enter for mortals

7 What is the secret empire of the west about? Is it a remnant of the Monster Empire and the age of darkness? Are they a god or a wizard? How did they become the world's drug dealers and assassins?

8 They say many kindoms sunk in the apocalypses of the past may live on as fish folk, sea elves, mermaids or others as a mercy of the gods. There is also an undersea faerieland and a common undersea speech. They say there is an undersea war between elder chaos and the undersea faerie folk. They say sea spirits, gods and dragons rule domains and kingdoms. Some beings operate under the sea just as surface folk do, but others operate under the rules of the sea like fish. So sea peoples may grow crops and keep seacreatures as farm animals. There are many wrecks and ruins under the sea, and many are occupied by monsters

9 Many dungeons have levels from previous ages, and the deepest levels can be time capsules of the past. The deepest overlap with other planes, like hell or elements. Hell has a sub-realm, the dungeon dimension, that is sentient and may connect or overlap with dungeons. Many dungeon spirits may act like little gods, and residents keep shrines to them. Spirits might warn inhabitants of threats. Vindictive spirits may draw in the dungeon dimension rather than lose to adventurers, but they risk becoming subservient to greater spirits

10 Nobody has been beyond the west or east lands since the first empire. The gods seem to have blocked the routes. The west is blocked by mountains and wastelands of barbaric peoples. The east has vast jungles of hostile cults that hate invaders and eat them. They say beyond them is sea and a great rift where water falls to the underworld and is purified and rejuvinates underland waters

11 The faerie lands have been expanding since creation and the Auldwood and other forests are expanding, smothering villages and bringing in strange, long-lost beasts and faerie beings. Its slow enough humans dont really notice. If the stories that every elf king and queen among all the many elf bloodlines are in fact the same beings and may also be related to some human divinties also

12 Strange isolated places report outgrowths of flesh with eyes and faces, and creepy hairless creatures. Some sailors reported finding flesh islands. Some people of the deep summon portals where they gather meat, then close them. These are manifestations of Xor, the living land of meat and wonder. A living universe that eats other worlds and mashes them all up inside to digest. Visiting Xorthe Devourer you can walk on its flesh or through massages within its respiratory or digestive tract. Native creatures can exist on meat or graze on forests of hair or meat plants. Metal is rare, and the locals value it. Xor is a wonder to explore and a possible threat to existence. It may also be salvation for medicine and food. Overfeeding on Xor causes it to react, and reflexive self-defences are attracted. Demons invade, causing infections. They seek to use the mass of Xor to make demons or corrupt Xor to chaos and use to absorb the multiverse. Every few decades wizardsof Shadelport send explorers to investigate and learn what they can about Xor.  

--------------------------------
Quick Cthulhu Game

Finished running Corbit house with a new table of Cthulhu tonight
Had a Private investigator in 70s with an eyepatch, a irish priest priest and a retired senior policeman. Im using 2nd edition - its faster and makes less combat monsters.  

Had usual players scared upstairs and attacked by a window and furniture. The old PI fell out a window but gripped the roof. The priest was convinced he drove away the ghost and the ghost really had to try hard to not attack the priest again. So they went to the cellar and the cop broke the wall with a crowbar (others subnormaly weak). The one eyed detective held the torch. The priest held his bible and started an exorcism.

The cop just made enough of a hole and saw a bier and some occult symbols but the priest screamed. Others went to look and the cop thought he heard footsteps behind him. The priest had been stabbed in the back with a weird knife. The PI waved his torch and screamed.  The cop snatched the knife as the priest tried to swat it away. They all had some san loss seeing the knife and the undead wizard. The PI got a terrible fear of the dead. Then the undead wizard attacked. The PI empties a gun into it and the priest swats it with a bible. The cop shot it and swung his crowbar. The bullets did nothing. The bible didnt do enough damage, so he switched to his large crucifix with metal on the tips. They all got some scratches. The PI holding the torch tried to run upstairs while reloading his gun and his walking stick. The wizard manipulated the stairs and he fell, dropping the torch without breaking it and gun and bullets. The priest hit it but not quite hard enough. The cop smashed the wizards arm off. The priest got to finish it with a crucifix through the skull. Exorcism complete.

Two were bew players. Several players my age and one with adult gaming kids, which is nice. So I have 2 shop games a week for a while.

Barking Alien Challenge day19: Must See Sights & 6-room mini Goblin Mine Dungeon

Petty God Rando Shampuffton has been daring high-level adventurers to see these sights at least from a distance. Then report back for the prize of a book's location with the secret of becoming a demigodhood at 20th level or possibly safer, become petty gods or immortals now. He wont help grey gnomes become divinity until Chagrinspire is destroyed. 

A few have tried and either given up, died, been distracted by quests, gained a domain or worse. Some other petty gods will interfere for various contrary reasons. They might be jealous or saving mortals from the limits of true divinity. They might just be jerks or crushing human dreams or gambling on an outcome and cheating.

d12 Must-See Sights at the end of the 3rd Empire
Ranked by ability to see and live to tell the tale.
1 The Sun Pyramids - remnants of the age of exilon in the south east, famous and accessible. You can see from the sea, and the modern inhabitants face invasion from the church of the lunar light. Crusaders from the empire invaded here also 

2 The Sunken City - a shallow sunken city and reef you can sail over with clear waters. Monsters are a peril so best just sail through fast. There are islands ruled by seahags and dragons that live there, and worse. At night, giant sargassum grows from the sea occupied by hellish sea monsters. Somewhere between the main continent and Zorda, summer water is clearest

3 Shadelport - a prehuman city colonised by pirates, some say its the worst city in the world, but it has prehuman ruins within the city, sewers and basements of houses. There is fabulous shopping from across the world and harmless prehuman antiques. The Baron has ruled for 800 years and operates a famous murder maze viewed by wizard magic in several stadiums

4 The western city of Lahn-Lo - once a great trade city to mysterious lands beyond, is now a deadly nomad and ogre-filled wasteland. A great lake moves back and forth over a region, and the buildings follow it so the lake bed and shores have left aeons of ruins back to prehistoric times. With the west beyond cut off the city is a shadow of ancient glory but has many ruins occupied by monsters, some with treasure 

5 Chagrinspire - an 18km tall gigadungeon complex built to destroy the world, visible hundreds of leagues away but tourism is growing now it has new towns

6 The Dragonspawn Pits of Forbidden Island - linked to Tiamat's lair in Hell, best seen from the sea by ship while volcanoes erupt and the dragon migrations begin

7  Tlastostok - a legendary city of gold and a vast city of mysterious temples, surrounded by cannibal chaos cults. If these people didn't predate each other, they might attack the colony kingdoms and city-states. Expeditions from these colonies occasionally raid the vassal treasure cities of mysterious Tlastostok 

8 The Great Rift - a wound in the world in the wastes of the central continent where chaos and elementals come to the world, and barbarian humans, beast folk and orcs come here to kill monsters and mutant chaos templars. You can see it from a distance, and there are barbarian towns and a city-sized camp 

9 The Black City - a great stone city of the prehuman oldones in the frozen north, only hardened northmen and adventurers go ashore. There are safer ruins and colonies close by

10 Shabrakahn - the underground City of the secret emperor of the west, source of the world's best drugs for rich people and wizards. Fabled city of vice and nightmares (a remnant of the age of Darkness?)

11 The City of Brass - best seen from a distance, a city from the plane of fire inhabited by elemental peoples, humans will die here in hours, but you can see it shimmering and its tallest towers from over the horizon

12 The Four Directions - see the great glacier of the north, the burning deserts and boiling seas of the south, the great mountains of the west, the great ocean beyond the east that pours into a misty void and putified then falls to the underworld. Apparently their may be elemental cities like the city of brass in these lands. A city of ice in the north, a city of glass in the sea beyond the east, a city of silver in the mountains beyond the west. Your not obligated to see all these cities just the city of brass.

-----------------------

I started running my adventure generated with 5th ed and am running 2 weekly games in a shop with food and uber rides covered, which is nice - hopefully we get more people. 
We had an awful thief, an elf druid and a moron muscle bard. Arrived in town, broke some doors, saw and met a ghost. Found tunnels and a zombie got some scratches and took out the bard so the druid liquified it into a humanoid smear on a wall with a spell. Then they went to the surface and came up in a family home and got to stay for dinner after getting rid of the zombie. Cthulhu tomorrow.

6-Room Dungeon Generator Notes 
This has the basics of generating a 6-room dungeon
https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2026/02/barking-alien-challenge-day15-what-to.html
Tables for doors and corridors are here

I'm thinking a booklet compiling this project will be more manageable than the project i started on this blog of 12 fat dungeon zone books.

6-room mini Goblin Mine Dungeon
Goblins do build and occupy ruins and modify them, but caves and mines are their preferred homes. Sometimes they incorporate ruins they find or meld caves and tunnels. Sometimes mines are so old that they look more and more like natural tunnels, and edges are smoothed by water and footprints.  

d12 Decor
1 Wooden support beams, bent or crumbling

2 Mining cart and/or tracks

3 Piles of rubble

4 Mushroom growing 1in4 glowing

5 Mining tool d4 1=rope 2=lamp 3=helmet 4=

6 Bird or bat cage

7 Graffiti (abuse or smut) or signs (danger or directions)

8 Mural or relief rock carvings d4 1=goblin heroes 2=martyrs 3=goblin gods 4=monsters

9 Shaft d4 1=up 2=down 3=small airshaft going up or across 4=shaft dropping down to a well

10 tunnel of some burrowing monster that invaed the dungeon

11 Bucket of ore

12 Goblin totems made of rubble, clay and enemies' bones and skin to scare away foes, some figures depicted being tortured or hung upsidedown or impaled

d12 Hazards 

1 Deadfall of rubble save or 2d4

2 Collapsing floor into another tunnel

3 Flammable explosive gas

4 Poison gas or lack of good air

5 Loose rubble or mud on a slope

6 Crossbow with tripline trap

7 Spiderwebs, big ones

8 Rope bridge over d4 1=water 2=chasm 3=monsters 4=lava

9 Rapid-flowing underground river

10 Toxic dust or spores 

11 Colony nest of a swarm of rats or bats 

12 Tight squeeze passage

d12 Wandering Monsters

1 Goblin youths playing 2d4

2 Goblin workers on the way to or from work 2d4. just wanna flee

3 Goblin hunters d4 with goblin dogs 2d4, prefer to shoot and flee

4 Goblin warriors d4+4 looking for intruders

5 Hobgoblins grumps looking to bully someone d4+1 

6 Sneaky bugbear collecting heads on a spree

7 Giant spider goblins feed giant rats to but other species are fair game

8 Giant beetles d4 scavenging, goblin pets or farm animals

9 Swarm or giant bats or rats who goblins feed

10 Carrion worm has a secret lair in the ceiling and eats goblins

11 Kobolds d4+4 bringing a tribute chest of weapons 

12 Thoul on effand for the boss

d12 Static monsters

1 Goblin guards d4+4

2 Goblin workers 2d4 building or repairing

3 Shrieking fungus 1in6 chance of more dangerous fugi

4 Giant beetles d4, farmed by goblins grazing on scraps

5 Pet rust monster eating some scrap

6 Ogre grinding bone meal 

7 Cages with giant spiders, tripline trap opens

8 Pet owlbear with d4 goblin children

9 Swarm or giant bats or rats that goblins feed

10 Goblin spell caster and d4 followers 

11 Zombies 4 guards attack non-goblins 

12 Two thouls

d12 Entry way 

1 Guard post with 6 goblin warriors with a barricade

2 Monster guardian trained by goblins like an owlbear

3 Tracks and a mining cart with piles of rubble, 2d4 miners

4 Goblin shrine with a priest and d4 followers

5 Goblin market with 4+d4 stalls  

6 Carved goblin face entrance with burning torches, 2d4 goblins inside

7 Wooden wall with gate and 6 goblin archers

8 Goblin idiots being clowns led by a nilbog, area covered in mess

9 Crude cave mouth and a gang of norkers crafting flint tools

10 Mushroom-infested cave with 2d4 giant crickets grazing (crickets or shrieking fungus can alert inhabitants of intruders)

11 Muddy trails and rubble piles may be d4 workers or a trap

12 Goblin totems and adventurer heads on poles, bloody graffiti,  2d4 goblin warriors working on more

d12 Subrooms 

1 Latrine, might be something living in the pit or a lost item

2 Storage room with shelves and boxes of tools

3 Storage room for preserved foods like pickled centipede eggs and dried fungus

4 Mushroom farm with shelves, compost and tools

5 Giant spider occupied room and some dead goblins

6 Bundles or rope and wooden pulleys

7 Workbench with some broken mine tools

8 Store for lamps, oil, torches and candles

9 Alchemist cupboard with explosives, open flame inside ignites

10 Goblin children hiding d4 or locked inside

11 Cell with prisoner

12 Elevator 

d12 Major room

1 Mine chamber with minecart, tools and pile of ore 2d4 goblins working

2 Barracks where goblins live 2d4 relaxing

3 Tavern where goblins relax 2d4 goblins and possibly some visitors

4 Mess and kitchen with 2d4 goblins cooking and eating

5 Smithy shop where goblins craft and refine minerals, 3d4 goblins working noisily

6 Dam holding back a body of polluted water, might connect to an underground waterway and have boats and fishing gear. Occasionally, a giant cave lobster might crawl out or some goblins here are repairing or fishing

7 Mushroom garden with many edible fungi and possibly grazing bugs or a mushroom person, a d4 goblin farmer is common

8 Goblin family room with elderly and children having quality time, laughing and singing

9 Spell casters' room with magic paraphernalia, owner and d4 followers may be here and some magic potions and rare ingredients

10 Boss room where a leader and family dwell, usually kids and carer here or boss and some friends drinking and boasting

11 Pet room with various monsters in cages. Giant bugs, spiders, bats, rats, lizards or even an owlbear might be kept here

12 Training room with targets and training dummies and exercise stations and 2d4 goblins working out with a hobgoblin coach

d12 Feature room

1 Throne room with leader, six bodyguards and a d4 goblins talking, may also be a diplomat or guest visiting and a thoul or bugbear bodyguard

2 Temple complex with huge goblin god statue and/or many smaller relics, a spellcaster and 2d4 followers will be here, may be zombies or pets also

3 Huge mine chamber with scaffolding, ropes, holes, rubble and 3d4 goblins

4 Ancient ruined shrine of prehuman darkness, an evil relic and a guardian creature like a mimic or trapper. Goblins wary of this place but some curious and will study the inscriptions

5 Prehistoric cave with ancient paintings. Used by goblins for rituals and public gatherings who might be here but mostly its quiet

6 Eldritch machine from long lost age, may have some magic purpose like d4 1=make monsters 2=make magic items 3=makes drugs 4=makes treasure; but requires some special food or require repairs. Goblins will be working on it or operting it

7 Goblin sweatshop where over a dozen goblins work at benches making goods for war or trade

8 Elemental portal where a cult of goblins led by a spell caster worship an element. An elemental beast guardian protects the node

9 Stone circle can be used as a portal to fairyland. May be goblins or a lesser fairy guardian. These goblins may retain links to faerie and even serve elves

10 Hobgoblins chief has taken over and moved in, shrines and totems and other more bloody decorations. A hobgoblin boss and 6 bodyguards, two wolves and a bugbear executioner. The goblins here will be grateful if these bullies are stopped

11 Beast Temple where goblins have a shrine to their chosen beast. A spell caster, 2d4 goblins with bows and animals with nice little houses and beds. Wolf, giant bat or giant rats most popular

12 Demon temple where a spell caster bosses 3d4 goblins in a bloody ritual for a demon. Their will by a stone statue of their patron, carved pillars and a stone altar and ritual paraphernalia. Treasure here is property of their demon lord. May be a minor demon guardian too. If hobgoblin dominate dungeon then this will be dedicated to hell and devils

When i finish this series I will probably add treasure tables and maybe a subplot table for each type...

Barking Alien Challenge day18: How to we get around?

Most of the continant has highways linking all the capitol cities. 
In empire era there was a messenger postal and stytem now evey kingdom has own tax and customs. There were coach houses and identical inns all along the highway and the Emperors law ruled on that road and was keen to execute bandits and highway robbers.

Their are river boats and coastal biremes and triremes around most of the continent but impirial navy ships were snatched mostly by the new states that emerged in the civil war. The pirates and merchant princes of Shadelport operate the most advanced sailing ships and more often use blackpowder, They dominate the seas between all lands and have enclaves in all four directions. They run all the sea trade to the western colonies which helped them break away from the Empire centuries ago. The other four directions have a mix of sail and triremes for trade. Northern longboats from the north are very successful. Colonies of the east trade. Islanders travel all over the world use huge canoes and catermaerangs ans sailing rafts and the pirates trade with them. Many peoples ships are poor at navagating out of sight of land. 

The inner continant is a nightmare of tribes, wilderness, barbarians, orcs and abhumans for travel. The north has more mountains and Auldwood smothering huge areas and growing. Whole kingdoms of non humans hide in these lamnds and strange creatures rome. The older nature religion and gods are stronger here.

Chagrinspire is between the barbaric wastes and auldwood. In ancient times they had airships travel the world. Actually they did better than that assaulting the moon and the celestial palaces of the stars. They had many golem powered vehichles and rail systems. Their are road routes to the north eastern kingdoms. 3/4 of the outer wastland has some friendly patrols now.

Dwarves, goblins, gnomes and others have riddled the world wth passages, many now resemble natural caves with cave art on the walls painted long after, Dwarves had great underground highways other peoples now use. Their are caves and routes under the straits between Ecile Island and the continant used by slavers.

Slavers used Chagrinspire and the underland for slavery transit. They in fact sold humans as slaves and sacrifices for centuries. Underground humans decend from these slaves. The adventurers in Chagrinspires wastes have been destroying slaver routes. The gnomes seem to be operating the clone labs of the apocalypse war to sell humans to the underworld peoples and wanted the slavers gone. While slaver secret routes are mostly shattered there are people who know how to find them but there is more danger now.

Horses are not to be ridden by non nobility.
Riding horses and war horses are for the rich. 
Cart horses, pack horses, plough horses and draft horses are common but so are oxen.
Often these animals are leased to peasants in return for cut of produce.
The wastes around chagrinspire have a diseas in the soil fatal to horses, as do the western jungles and why the crowded warring kingdoms kept fighting instead of facing the cult and monster filled jungles.

Goats, ass and donkeys are used as pack animals.

Exile island has many species of animal found only in one of the compas directions and not the central continant. Their are llama, two humped wooly camels in mountains and many flightless birds. Pack reptiles and invertibrates from the underland are seen occasionally without much screaming. 

Daily travel costs
Travel as extra guards is the cheapest way to get around just join the caravaneers guild to help you through customs and get work quickly. You get suplies for travel and paid 1sp a day
1sp a day with own food or horse in Silver class, camp with caravan or arange own inn stay
1gp a day with food and a carraige in Gold class, servants will assemble tents or sleep in coach

This works for land and sea but sailing away from sight of the coast requires x5 or x10 cost from the Pirates of Shadelport. Some travel cheap with the islanders but the can meander while traveling the worlds oceans. Travelling into the wasteland or deep into Auldwood are rare and even getting close to them on frontier can double proices of food and travel.

A wilderness guide helps if you do travell the secret paths of the world.
They charge for a specific route a lump sum and the more dangerous or weird the higher the cost.

Planes
Their are portals and nodes of the elements and faeriland paths but most humans never see one. People do fear them greatly as they feature in stories about evil wizards. High level adventurers make their own routes. Their are some hostile planes that make links to mortal places that are harder to detect. Faerie and nightmare planes, or the dungeon dimension, hell, demon planes or Xor the world that eats other worlds. Their is a cosmic tree that can be used to travel dimensions and is inhabited by faerie beings. Its roods are in the underworld gnawed by evil dragons. Its branches reach into the arcadian plains and woods around the citadel of the heavens. 

Barking Alien Challenge day17: Wars & Battles?

So what famous battles or wars happened?

The world is shaped by great wars and apocalypse.
These great ages were ended by war and they are featured in myths and the arts.

In the timeless dawn age where gods and their servants walked the world, there were battles but the dead returned to life and were restored. That age ended by a unity of evil gods tempted by the older gods of the outer darkness. They used the weapon death to kill beings, by trapping their spirits in the underworld or using them to fuel magic. This weapon was a modification to the world and with it came time, disease, hunger and more.

The age of darkness lasted thousands of years. Various abhuman species serving demons and evil gods formed a pact and ruled the monster empire, which covered most of the worlds surface. The monster kings did fight and the worm and bug lords were enslaved by others for food and new monster kings. They admited birds and bats into their hierachy to replace the old ones. At the end of this age the 7 monster kings were reliant on orc and human abhumans who revolted. Demihumans who hid joined them and the gods returned. After this war humans shunned all the arts and sciences and magic and lived as beasts in caves for thousands of years. Some areas the gods dropped mountains on became seeds of an underground civilisation where the failed evil god cults could survive.

Necromancers studied the occult secrets of monster kings and built stone cities and called armies of the dead to conquer the central continant. Many fled but eventually the barbarian orcs, humans and abhumans came from the wastes and killed the wizards and destroyed their writings. A few death templar cities survived ruled by death templars and undead wizards.

The world went back to the age of stone and bone

Elementalists united many gods and magical traditions claiming the elemental unity could rule the universe in harmony forever. They copied many ideas of necromancers and did rule the central continant and spread beyond to the other four directions. The unity collapsed over time as tricksters turned the elemental temples against each other. Many elemental cults to this day prefer one element and shun the unity. Barbarian humans, orcs and beast folk abhumans again destroyed this civilisation.

The elementalists had spread religion and technology over the continant and people did not forget arts and writing this time. People built city states dedicated to the gods. Many barbarians were assimilated or when they vonquered a city were assimilated in a few generations. Cities unified and kept barbarians at bay. Elemental and nature gods thrived and it was the Age of Exilon. At the peak of this age many great and terrible empires emerged from unified city states and warred with each other. The last necromancer cities were conquered. The Arcane Empire emerged as the leader ruled by wizard-priest kings. Fringe civilisations developed demon cults to resist and so the gods acted. A great apocalypse occured and vast areas were flooded. Peoples fleeing this spread civilisation to lands untouched for millenia including the north. This disaster caused wars and conflict that wrecked most vivilisations. Barbarians survived intact and finished off the rest but acepted they had failed to stop literacy, wizards and metal in the world. Some gave up this task.

In the ruins of the old world Lamnutainia survived conquest from other new kingdoms and barbarians and developed a fearsome discilpined millitary culture allied with the new gods of civilisation and the older nature gods. After a southern empire tried to invade the continant Lamnutainia faught back, stole secrets of sailing and used it to conquere the entire coast of the continant. This was the first Empire refered to as the ancients by modern people unaware of history before then. They fell to civil war over a bad succession which caused individual nations to revolt. The barbarians of the wastes came again to help finish this age and Demihumans all helped. The Great north woodlands had expanded and species unseen since the dawn age returned. During these wars human civilisation shrunk back to the oldest cities.

After centuries of peace the Second Empire began now embracing the civilised gods emerged to conquer the coastal kingdoms of the continant. Also a gnome cult began a surface construction project. This was Chagrinspire and its purpose was to unmake everything to bring peace and end suffering. At first nobody was concerned. But gnome trade was insidious and their technology adopted in many lands. While the empire was content and expanding by sea to the four directions, the gnomes flew airships around the world to plunder simpler peoples. Once people could see the construction from leagues away the empire began to have more friction with the gnomes. As the tower reached higher and higher a crusade was called by the second empire. The barbarians came and helped. Demi humans helped even other gnomes. Peoples from distant lands unheard of came warned by the gods of their need. So millions died in the centureis of war while Chagrinspire still plundered the world with airships and employed golems and synthetic soldiers to fight. Gods came to intervene with avatars and they were killed and captured for fuel. Cults of outer darkness helping the gnomes were duped and their gods were summoned turned into fuel.No avatars came to the mortal world since then. Petty godlings left behind fled the continant. Much of the world had become advanced like chagrinspire rapidly and as the tower was compledted millions died in a final battle. A great elemental flood was summponed ruining the tower defences and frog and fish folk infiltrated the towere vast water system, The defencive trenches and hill fort lines were overwhenlmed and the lower floors of the tower were ransacked. This final battle depleted many of the worlds human adults and the arcane technologies failed and were lost plunging all into barbarism including the second empire. Many say that it was all an acto of human and god sacrifice to fuel the anihilation engines of the gnomes.

In the last thousand years a Third empire dedicated to the church of light, an amalgam of old nature gods and modern civilisation gods but picking those connected with the sun, light and heavens. Auldwood and the wasteland had grown. Chagrinspire seemed dormant and inacesable. The empire ended when the Emperor was part of a heretical dark templar sect whos power specialised in hiding from the sun god and corrupting them from within. His madness caused a 30 year civil war. Recently he was killed by adventurers and the Templar of Light kingdom conquered Lamnutainia. All the coastal kindoms free of war are consolodating their domain of control and reclaiming lost frontier lands. Chagrinspire seems to have awakened and more people are living in the wates. Ancoent reptilian civilisations have been rebuilding and Auldwood keeps growing and resisiting resetlement. The collapse of the continant slave trade was also instigated by adventurers around Chagrinspire. Its a strange new age of exploration, prosperity and uncertainty.  

Worth a not that the Warring Colonies of the East are the biggest users of gunpowder and they export mercenaries. Tiny city states and kingdoms battle constantly producing the most advanced and brutal fighting people of the age. If anone manages to unify the kingdoms they could be a world threat. The indiginous armies uniting against them might cause this or perhaps a new dynamic leader.